Storm King's Thunder: Main RP

[Ellya]

Storm King's Thunder
Part 0: Prelude
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General Rules:

• Try to put some effort into your posts. I'm not saying you have to write multiple huge paragraphs each time, but at least one would be appreciated. You have the opportunity to really explore your character's thoughts and feelings here, so try not to just type a sentence or two describing what you do.​
• Remind me to use thread markers. This is a new function I only just found out about: on the top right in the "options" button above a thread, you can view the threadmarkers. I can add significant posts to this so you can always easily jump back- or forwards to any major story-related updates. I may forget to use them, so if you feel like a post is significant, let me know and I'll add it!​
• When combat starts, I will share with you the AC and saving throws of your enemies. You are allowed to roll an enemy's saving throw against your spell or effect. This way, you know whether or not you hit and can describe it accordingly.​
• I will also ask you to roll initiative at the start of combat, but this does not have to decide the post order! Just make your post whenever you can or want to, and I'll account for the initiative order. Your turn in combat may be skipped if I feel like enough people have posted and we can't wait too much longer. If about 75% of the players have already posted their actions, I may not wait for the rest, just so we can keep it flowing nicely.​
• Combat rules may change over time, this is very much experimental!​
• Use the dice thread and OOC thread for their purpose. These are linked at the top of the page every time. "Characters" goes to the signup thread so you can read up on character's info or check their visual references. "OOC" goes to the OOC thread, obviously. "Other" goes to the Dice thread. If you have any dice to roll that you don't want to roll on your post, do it there!​
• Let me know about any issues you have! As I said, this is all highly experimental and I'm just trying to find the best way for everyone to enjoy themselves, so if you have any problems or suggestions, please share them with me in a PM or on discord: Ellya#0322 .​

 

[Ellya]

The High Road
Idea Dethrix TeikiFox
​

Idea
Xolkin, despite his naturally mysterious and even suspicious behavior, seemed genuinely fascinated by May's performance. He grew a smile the stone started to adapt a glow, and when it started to show his name, he laughed out loud. "Hahahah! How marvelous, May! Truly!" As he laughed, he gave the automaton a hearty slap on the back. "Such impressive magics..." he muttered, carefully taking the stone from her and looking at it a while before his eyes moved back to May. They examined her in a way he'd done once or twice before, taking in each element of her build and her form with a look of extreme interest in his eyes.

"Your creator must have been a genius with a mind beyond any mortal, Maythread... Come now. Even if you don't eat, would you join us just for company? My stomach is growling and I would hate to leave you here carving your own name into rocks by yourself..." He extended a hand towards the fire, inviting her to move back to the group, when suddenly a light rumbling sensation shook the ground beneath their feet...

Dethrix TeikiFox
Around the fire, the joyful bullying of the nobleman continued, albeit less savagely than before. The occasional comment was thrown his way, but Hommett seemed to have found his feet and his stomach again, simply enjoying the chicken that was given to him. You each were given your own portion as well and as time went on and stomachs were starting to get filled, the camp grew more quiet, just relaxing and enjoying their meals until one of the nine suddenly perked up. She was one of the quiet ones, her face sporting sharp features and a hood covering her head. "... Does anyone else--" she started, but was quickly cut short by the ground seeming to vibrate.

Idea Dethrix TeikiFox
After the rumbling, Xolkin hastily made his way back to the camp, where his companions were already grabbing their weapons in a reflex. Before he could get a word out, another wave of shaking took the ground, the fire visibly flickering a bit. "What in the name of S--" he started, but his words as well were cut short by a third wave of rumbling. They didn't seem to follow any kind of pattern, but they were frequent, some more violent than others but mostly seeming harmless where everyone stood. Everyone waited in anticipation and looked around.

~~ Make a Nature check in the Dice thread ~~
If you roll a 9 or higher, your character knows this: It seems too mild to be an earthquake. Possibly there are some large creatures underground, but you can't tell how close to the surface they could be. Either that, or something is going on nearby.
If you roll a 14 or higher, your character knows this: The waves of rumbling aren't any kind of natural earthquake, nor do they originate from any underground creatures. They are created by some kind of intense impact against the ground. Given that you don't see anything close by, you figure that it must be at least a few miles away, which means that whatever is creating this impact is very large for it to be felt all the way over here.

The rumbling continues on for a good 30 seconds.

The Ardeep Forest
@Creek @Lazaro1505
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As Rond escorts the two of you through the Ardeep forest, his elven companions seem to finally be relaxing a bit more. Letting their guard down would be too strong of a description for it though. Their eyes kept darting around the forest, carefully checking each tree and brush for potential danger. You get the impression that it would be particularly hard to take this group by surprise.

You had just exited the forest a few minutes ago and followed Rond Arrowhome's squadron of wood elves toward the distant city of Nightstone, watching its wooden walls come closer ever so slowly, when one of the elves exclaimed something that Toric understood as "Halt! Up!" The entire group stopped in their tracks and drew their bows. The elf that had called out was aiming very clearly toward the sky, bow unwavering with not the slightest hint of a tremble in his hand. His arrow pointed above Nightstone, where a large gray cloud hung over the town.

~~ Make a Perception check in the Dice thread ~~
If you roll a 14 or higher, your character knows this: From this distance, it is relatively difficult to spot, but you could swear you see some straight edges peeking out from above the top of the cloud. Almost like something was built on top of it.

The elves turned pale. Rond muttered an Elvish slur under his breath too ancient or obscure for even Toric to know, before he turned his head toward his followers behind him. He seemed to need a moment to swallow and collect himself, but his eyes didn't show any kind of fear. His mouth opened to give an order when he was rudely interrupted by one of his companions screaming the elvish word for "LOOK!"

Something dropped off the edge of the cloud. Something large. It was followed by yet another object of similar size and apparently similar weight, since both came crashing down toward the town at immense speed. A fraction of a second after landing, the ground shook beneath your feet.

Over the course of the next thirty seconds, a barrage of heavy projectiles were dropped from the cloud, seemingly straight into the town of Nightstone while the elves just stood and watched. Some looked afraid, but not Rond. Rond grinned.

Nightstone
Sherwood Psychie @PlayWight ​

"Ahh lass, worrying is for later! Today we drink and feast and dance and even if it rains, we ain't gonna fu--" Morak started cheerfully yelling out as Velrosa shook her head with a smile. He cut himself off pretty quickly when turning his head to check out the cloud though. The dwarf fell silent. This being such a strange occurence, people started to turn their heads to look at him and in turn, up at the strange cloud. Soon enough, an eerie silence took over as everyone just looked at the cloud. Lady Velrosa stood up and furrowed her brow, until suddenly a realization came across her and her eyes widened.

"GIANTS!" she yelled. "Guards, lower the bloody bridge and get everyone out! No one go home, everyone to the bridge, now!" Her orders came quickly and naturally, but the people seemed to need a few seconds to process them. Lionel looked with fearful eyes at Athaclenna before grabbing her wrist and running off with her toward the drawbridge. He was the first, and the moment he moved, panic erupted among the crowd. People screamed and started to run, guards tried to bark orders at each other as they hastily made their way to the bridge as well. In just a few seconds, the party crowd turned into a desperate, clueless mob.

Lionel was still the first to approach the bridge, but he was stopped in his tracks. A giant boulder, bigger than two houses, suddenly crashed down not only onto the ground, but on Lionel. In less than the blink of an eye, the young boy disappeared and in his place now stood that boulder upright in the dirt. More screams ensued and people started to run in seemingly random directions. The impact from the boulder shook the ground so intensely and violently that anyone close by would have trouble keeping their balance. Apparently that included Lady Velrosa herself, who was taken entirely off guard and collapsed through her legs while trying to guide people toward the drawbridge.

One moment, she was on her back. The next moment, only her legs were visible under another giant boulder. Lady Velrosa Nandar, the ruler of Nightstone and beloved by most of its inhabitants, was crushed like a bug.

The drawbridge was starting to be lowered, but it seemed to take forever. Boulder after boulder dropped down into the city, each making a giant shattering impact that shook the ground violently, knocking over drinks and people alike. They crashed into buildings, wood splinters got thrown around like projectiles and stone crumbled. Houses and lives were lost and ruined in an instant. It took only ten seconds for the drawbridge to be lowered enough to be crossed, but those seconds proved fatal for who knows how many of the townsfolk.

 

[Ellya]

Dethrix Idea TeikiFox
The packing and preparation didn't take more than a good ten minutes for the group. Xolkin remained silent for the rest of the process, aside from a quick comment to Maythread. "We will be alright, May. We will stay well out of danger, giants are no thing to be brave around... And do not worry, she isn't the religious type. Her magic comes from a different source" he said those final words while gaving a glance over to Lark and 'Rein' off to the side, before helping Hommett attach the horses of burden to the cart. Just as everyone was getting settled on their horses, the raven came flying back as well, in what seemed less than instant, transformed back into the shape of the elven lady and walked over to Xolkin to whisper something in his ear. He in turn simply gave a nod.

Soon enough, the group was traveling again. The mood was definitely a bit gloomier than on the High Road, and despite the terrain being noticeably more difficult and bumpy, the pace was quickened. Whether it was an urgency to help the people of Nightstone or a curiosity to see giants up close, you could only guess. The party made its way over hill and rolling hill, the dark cloud in the distance getting closer and closer. At a certain point during the journey, you could even swear they dropped two more boulders down, but whatever it was, it dropped very slowly and gently and made no noticeable impact.

Just as this was happening far ahead, footsteps were heard. Xolkin raised his hand at the front of the company, and everyone else came to a halt. The footsteps were many, and quick. It was unclear how far away there were, until their sources reared their heads. Long pointed ears became visible first, followed by a few Goblin heads with mean-looking expressions. As soon as your party was spotted, the goblin that had appeared first pointed and let out a snarl, screaming something in its own language. (If you speak Goblin: "There! Grab your weapons! Kill the skinny ones!" ) He was dressed in what looked like very beaten and worn pieces of armor, that didn't quite seem to fit him too well.

Just a second after that, more heads poked up from behind the hill. Xolkin yelled out "To arms, friends!" as he drew his own sword. A small horde of what looked to be about a dozen goblins, all dressed in various pieces of scrapped armor and clothing, shouted guttural high pitched war cries as they charged down the hill toward you all, swinging swords, maces and weapons. Three more of them toward the back drew bows instead. "You three, keep Hommett safe, we'll hold as many off as we can!" the elven lady called out.

The nobleman himself seemed to be frozen in fear, aside from his shaking hands still holding the reins of the horses.

~~ Please enjoy this very expertly fabricated recreation of the battle map ~~
I may figure out a better way for this eventually, but for now, you can just describe where you'd like to move your character by grid.
All blue characters (Xolkin's company) are about to charge forward, while the red characters (Goblins) charge toward the cart as well.
Your characters can get a free turn of movement before combat actually starts, so work that into your posts.

X = Xolkin, blue E = Elf lady, Purple E = Esvele, M = Maythread, L = Ehlark
Square = 5 ft

Goblins:
AC 15
HP 7
Saving throws:
STR -1
DEX +2
CON +0
INT +0
WIS -1
CHA -1

Leader Goblin on J15 in front of Xolkin:
AC 18
HP 11
Saving throws:
STR +1
DEX +1
CON +1
INT +0
WIS +0
CHA -1
​

Combat
Since combat in actual D&D is very much a quick back-and-forth between the DM and each player, I'm going to make quite a change here. First of all, there will be no initiative. I realize this might come across as strange, but I feel like the flow of combat would be better if we just follow the order of posts. Of course, this being the case, everyone will only be allowed one round per round of posts, and each round starts and ends with me posting the enemies' actions.

I will share the AC and stats of each enemy at the start of an encounter. If they have to roll a saving throw against your attack, you are allowed to roll it for the enemy.
This way, you can describe your action and know its results without having to wait for me to tell you "yes" or "no" each time.

As I said, this may change over time, but I feel like this would be the most optimal way of keeping a decent pace without having to spam posts back and forth.

 

[Ellya]

Sherwood Psychie
Sasha's arrow whizzes just over the guards' heads, and before anyone even realized she had fired one, it found its target. It buried itself in the Orc warchief's shoulder with a dull impact, just missing his hostage's ear. The fury in his eyes grew even more intense, and the large creature's hands moved up, grabbing his hostage by the chin and the top of the head, then twisting his arms with a quick snap in an attempt to snap his neck. However, just as he made the attempt at the poor old human's life, the war chief howled in pain and clutched the arrow in his shoulder. The arrow had apparently found a perfect spot to impede his strength.

The older man managed to seize this opportunity to get away, running off and jumping into the moat for cover. The splash of water wasn't even heard under the Orc's blood curling roar

"RRRHHHHHAAAAAAAHHHH!" He screamed, lifting his weapon into the air as his squad behind him joined into the war cry.

The guards immediately jumped into action as the crowd behind them dispersed and started to run back into the town. Six of the guards on the bridge ran up to the nearest Orc they could find, the self-appointed and temporary leader of them going straight for the war chief, while two stayed on the bridge and drew crossbows.

~~ Please enjoy this very expertly fabricated recreation of the battle map ~~
I may figure out a better way for this eventually, but for now, you can just describe where you'd like to move your character by grid.

Square = 5ft

Orcs (Reddish brown):
AC 13
HP 15
Saving throws:
STR +3
DEX +1
CON +3
WIS -2
INT +0
CHA +0

War Chief (Red):
AC 16
HP 55
Saving throws:
STR +6
DEX +1
CON +6
WIS +2
INT +0
CHA +3

​

Combat
Since combat in actual D&D is very much a quick back-and-forth between the DM and each player, I'm going to make quite a change here. First of all, there will be no initiative. I realize this might come across as strange, but I feel like the flow of combat would be better if we just follow the order of posts. Of course, this being the case, everyone will only be allowed one round per round of posts, and each round starts and ends with me posting the enemies' actions.

I will share the AC and stats of each enemy at the start of an encounter. If they have to roll a saving throw against your attack, you are allowed to roll it for the enemy.
This way, you can describe your action and know its results without having to wait for me to tell you "yes" or "no" each time.

As I said, this may change over time, but I feel like this would be the most optimal way of keeping a decent pace without having to spam posts back and forth.

 

[Ellya]

Dethrix Idea TeikiFox Sara Sidereal
Xolkin didn't take too much of a pause to listen to what the goblin had to say. As the creature chortled and laughed, Xolkin casually stepped closer and, with a swift stab in the throat, ended its life, after which the two that were holding him let him fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. With a grimace, Xolkin cleaned his sword as well as he could on a piece cloth the creature wore, while his head turned to Lark. There was a certain mix of disappointment and distrust in his expression now, and he didn't try to hide it.

"Let's take one more break. Treat your wounds, ask for help when you need it. Hommett very much does, and if there was anything in Nightstone worth saving, it's too late already"

~ You level up to level two! ~

~ The party takes a short rest, spend any hit dice you want to heal up ~​

It had been a good few hours since the apparent Giant attack on Nightstone. After everyone had taken some time to calm their nerves and treat the wounded, you got on your way again, and eventually you hear the ringing of a bell. The sound grows louder as Nightstone comes into view. A river flows around the settlement, forming a moat. The village itself is contained within a wooden palisade, beyond which you see a windmill, a tall steeple, and the high-pitched rooftops of several other buildings. Apart from the ringing of the bell, you detect no other activity in the village. The trail to the town ends before a lowered drawbridge, two stone watchtowers flank an open gap in the palisade. South of the village and surrounded by the river moat is a cone-shaped, flat-topped hill on which s tands a stone keep enclosed by a wooden wall. The keep, which overlooks the village, has partially collapsed. A wooden bridge that once connected the keep to the village has also collapsed.

Aside from the ringing bell, an eerie, mournful silence comes over the group as you approach the bridge. Six corpses lie spread across the ground, most only partially dressed in heavy armor, like they had put it on in a hurry. Blood and severed limbs and appendages like ears and fingers, stain the beautiful green sheet of grass. Within the moat along pieces of collapsed bridge float two more bodies, also partially armored. As you lean over, peek into the water and consider your next move, you hear a low, dry groan behind you.

One of the corpses in the grass suddenly just barely manages to flip onto their back. The fighter seems to be of a shorter, stocky build and has a long, thick red beard, making it pretty safe to assume it is a dwarf. More importantly though, this particular corpse seems to be clinging on to life still.